1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an antigen membrane for syphilis diagnosis, and a method and apparatus for syphilis diagnosis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, with rapid progress in the field of immunology, important applications of immunology, have been developed, in particular, the introduction of immunochemical methods into clinical analysis, where their usefulness has been confirmed. In most immunoassays, the superior specificity of antigen-antibody reactions is utilized, and a trace amount of a specific substance can be selectively detected.
Syphilis diagnosis is a typical example of the application of such immuno-chemical clinical analyses. However, in the conventional syphilis diagnosis method, completion of the antigen-antibody complex forming reaction is observed with the naked eye. Accordingly, the excellent selectivity and sensitivity of the immuno-chemical specificity are not sufficiently utilized in the final diagnosis step.
Recently, a technical method has been developed by which biologically active compounds, such as enzymes are immobilized in insoluble matrices without losing their function, thus rendering these compounds available for use in the solid state.